In the face of the Great Depression, St. John’s, established by the Jesuits as a university in the late 1800’s, was forced to close. The school had made an indelible mark on the community. Of the 661 graduates of St. John’s University there were 100 clergymen, 104 attorneys, 67 doctors and dentists, 141 teachers and 19 social workers. A newspaper account read: “The Jesuits formed a nucleus of culture in the city which grew to permeate every walk of sound civic life.” And those alumni never gave up the vision of a new St. John’s Jesuit.
In the late 1950s, the need for another Catholic high school became apparent. In 1963, Bishop Rehring invited the Jesuits to reestablish St. John’s. Fr. Nicholas Gelin, a graduate of St. John’s class of 1927, was charged with getting the new school “off the ground.” Fr. Gelin wrote, “After investigating every available and adequate piece of land, we settled on 30 acres at the corner of Chicago Pike and Holland-Sylvania Road, as easily the best school site around. It is well elevated in scenic estate country, and yet readily accessible from all parts of the city.”
Plans for the new St. John’s were underway, and Msgr. Sawkins, the first student ever to register at old St. John’s, came to bless the site and assist with the groundbreaking. But the work had just begun. The pastors and parishioners of Toledo had given the Jesuits $2 million, but the cost of construction, equipment and furnishings pushed the total needed to nearly $3 million. The alumni were asked to help raise the additional funds. The Men for Others responded and the new St. John’s High School became a reality on September 13, 1965.
As the 60th anniversary of the re-opening of St. John’s Jesuit approaches, we are incredibly humbled by those alumni, faculty, and staff who came before us. Several milestone events and giving opportunities will be announced to celebrate all that the Titan community has meant to the Toledo area, and to position SJJ for growth and success in the years ahead. Ad Majorem dei Gloriam!
